Time to say yes to health care reform to fix economy, help families

OCSEA President Eddie L. Parks challenged readers of the editorial page in Saturday's Cincinnati Enquirer to say "yes" to health care reform.

We have been debating the issue of health care in America since Truman was president in the 1940s. The problem is worse than ever and I have had enough of people who just continue to say NO to every idea.

There is a reason both the AARP and the American Medical Association have endorsed the health care bill that passed the House of Representatives last weekend. The bill will help families all across America by giving them more choices, reducing costs and stopping providers from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

The other side isn't offering solutions. They simply want to keep saying NO to everything so they can block reform and keep the status quo that benefits insurance companies over us.

If you're a public employee union member covered by a collective bargaining agreement and you think reform legislation won't make things better for you in terms of your negotiated wages and health care benefits. Think again.

Forget our state's current economic troubles for a moment and just consider the rising cost of health care. With employer spending on premiums projected to rise by at least 72 % over the next 10 years, it's unlikely that this crisis is going to go away on its own and it's nearly impossible for future contract negotiations to avoid the economic consequences of not fixing health care.

If you're still not sure what's in health care reform for you and your family, check out this new AFSCME factsheet (PDF) now.

The OCSEA website offers various resources on health care reform and its impact on public employee union members.

Good beginning: Ohio's stimulus dollars save, create 14,000+ jobs

So far it sounds like the stimulus dollars spent in Ohio are off to a solid start.

The Associated Press this week reported that Ohio's most needy citizens have benefited substantially from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with a large portion of federal stimulus dollars spent on unemployment benefits, Medicaid payments and other social service programs. Education was a big winner, too.

Equally important, according to preliminary state reports released on Tuesday, more than 13 thousand jobs were saved or created in Ohio. Plus, an additional 669 jobs were reported just today by the feds. Keep in mind that these figures do not include funds distributed to cities, counties, and other agencies -- only state and federal, according to an update from today's Plain Dealer.

Now consider the ripple effect for local communities and businesses! I wish we had figures on that, too. In fact, I suspect our state unemployment rate (10.8 percent for August) likely would be higher if the stimulus bill had not passed in February.

Want to know exactly where the recovery and reinvestment legislation is generating results by saving jobs and creating new ones? Get a national picture and zoom all the way down to zip code or congressional district on the federal government's http://www.recovery.gov/ website. Check out the interactive maps to identify what companies were awarded exactly how much money and how many jobs those dollars generated.

You can also go straight to http://www.recovery.ohio.gov/for Ohio's data.

Cancer ribbon colors spread hope, encourage healthy choices

Nearly everyone knows what the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness stand for, but do you about gray, lime, orange, periwinkle or dark blue?

I didn't, until I was inspired by OCSEA District Council VI to learn more about the many different types of cancer and their respective ribbon colors.

Go to http://www.choosehope.com/ for a complete list or print a list (PDF) to share with others.

OCSEA leaders in Central Ohio hosted "Dance for the Cure" on Thursday, Oct. 8, to raise awareness among union members and their families and friends about the different types of cancer. Check out the photo album at www.Facebook.com/OCSEA or www.ocsea.org/photos.

Health care experts say awareness can help people reduce risks, identify signs, and increase early detection and treatment, according to the American Cancer Society.

While I've got health issues on your mind, consider participating in a Take Charge! Live Well! health screening this fall. Check the online schedule for upcoming events set for workplaces statewide.